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View of Coventry Centre, from the cathedral spirePhoto: Oliver Mills · CC BY-SA 2.0
B−Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Coventry · Environment Agency

Heavy rain is Coventry’s main flood risk: 3.9% of homes, against 0.3% from rivers or the sea

On the Environment Agency’s maps, which allow for flood defences, “high or medium” means at least a 1 in 100 chance of flooding from rivers or the sea in any year. Coventry grades B− for hazard risk: #21 of 35 in West Midlands.

1998worst recorded flood6flood warnings since 200696%in a radon Affected Area
In brief

What stands out about Coventry’s hazards

From the Environment Agency’s maps and records and the BGS radon atlas, below.

Rain, more than the river3.9% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 0.3% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 1998Floodwater covered 2 hectares of today’s Coventry in 1998.The River Sherbourne ran its 2nd-highest in January 20251.54 m at Holyhead Road on 6 January 2025, 5 cm under the record set in 2012.6 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Coventry the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 14 November 2025.
By hazard

What Coventry faces

Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.

Rivers and the sea

0.3%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 51% of towns
371 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

3.9%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 55% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 0.3%

Past floods

2years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: April 1998
2 households inside past outlines

The River Sherbourne

1.37 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Holyhead Road
6th-highest of 21 winters
Record 1.59 m, November 2012

Flood warnings

6flood warnings since 2006
150 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 14 November 2025

Radon

96%of the city in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: 10–30% of homes
47% in squares of 5% or more
Not on this page: coastal erosion, subsidence and shrink-swell ground (the British Geological Survey licenses it), groundwater flooding and reservoir failure.
Hazard risk Grade

Coventry grades B− for hazard risk

Flood risk from rivers and the sea, against all UK towns.

Homes at high or medium flood risk (0.3%)Fewer than 48% of UK towns

The share of homes at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea, ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more: fewer homes at risk is better. Towns with none at high or medium risk are ordered by their share at low risk, so they don’t all share one score. Surface water and radon aren’t graded: they are described below.

Flood map

Where the water goes in Coventry

Turn layers on and off. Blue is the risk from rivers and the sea; pink is where heavy rain collects. Both allow for flood defences.

Recorded flood: 1985Recorded flood: 1998© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterCoventry’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the Avon, the St Johns and the Fishers. Surface-water risk is spread across the city, in dips, underpasses and along small streams, which is why more homes are exposed to it.

Rivers and the sea

0.3% of Coventry’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 1% are at low risk.

High risk0.2%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more218 homes, EA count
Medium risk0.1%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 100153 homes, EA count
Low risk1%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0004,641 homes, EA count
Where Coventry sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%Coventry
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%
11%2–5%
5%5–10%
3%10–20%
2%20% +

Share of each UK town’s homes at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea. 35% of UK towns have none; Coventry has more than 51% of towns.

Towns its size: 6th of 37 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Southwark London307,0760%
2Newham London351,065under 0.1%
3Havering London259,4010.1%
4Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire260,5600.1%
5Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear286,4720.2%
6Coventry West Midlands344,2890.3%
7Bradford West Yorkshire333,9680.3%
8Hounslow London286,5910.3%
…
36Nottingham Nottinghamshire299,7863.6%
37Kingston upon Hull East Riding of Yorkshire270,8166.3%

UK towns of 241,000 to 482,000 people.

The Environment Agency’s Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea (NaFRA2, June 2026) counts each postcode’s homes by band; the shares weight those postcodes by Census 2021 households. The EA counts include homes built since 2021.

Surface water

Heavy rain puts about 14.8 times as many Coventry homes at risk as rivers and the sea do

Surface water is rain that falls faster than drains and the ground can take it. It is mapped separately from rivers and the sea, and it is not in the Hazard risk Grade.

Surface water3.9%
Rivers and the sea0.3%
0%7%14% of homes

About 1.8% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 2.1% at medium risk: roughly 5,150 households. A further 5.6% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 55% of UK towns.

~5,150
households at high or medium risk
5.6%
of homes at low risk
55%
of UK towns have a smaller share
172,002
addresses read on the map

Our estimate: every address in the city (ONS NSUL) read on the Environment Agency’s Risk of Flooding from Surface Water map (NaFRA2, 2025), each postcode’s share weighted by its Census 2021 households. Neither agency publishes a count of homes for surface water, so treat it as a guide; one street can differ from the next.

Flood history

Coventry has flooded in 2 recorded years since 1985, most of all in 1998

Every flood the Environment Agency has mapped inside Coventry’s built-up area, newest first. The record is fullest for big river floods; small and surface-water floods are often missing.

  1. 1998April 1998: River flooding recorded2 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn, Ryton on Dunsmore
  2. 1985January 1985: River flooding recorded2 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn
The worst: 19982 ha

Floodwater covered 2 hectares of what is now Coventry in 1998, the largest flood the record holds here (April).

2 of Coventry’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

River levels

The River Sherbourne in January 2025 rose to its 2nd-highest level since 2003

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Holyhead Road gauge, since 2003. The river normally runs between 0.03 m and 1.10 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 2003–04: highest 0.75 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 0.82 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 0.87 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 1.54 m on 15 June 2007 · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 0.99 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.44 m on 13 December 2008 · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 0.58 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 0.63 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 0.76 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.59 m on 25 November 2012 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.06 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 0.61 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 1.45 m on 6 February 2016 · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 0.66 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 0.86 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 0.59 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 1.18 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 0.96 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 1.32 m on 2 January 2024 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 1.54 m on 6 January 2025 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.37 m on 14 November 2025 · 1 days above the normal range’12–13’24–25’06–07Record 1.59 m, 2012Top of normal range
2003–042025–26
The highest days on record
  • 25 November 20121.59 m
  • 6 January 20251.54 m
  • 15 June 20071.54 m
  • 6 February 20161.45 m
  • 13 December 20081.44 m
  • 20 July 20071.44 m

The River Sherbourne has topped its normal range on 15 days since 2003, most in the winters of 2006–07 and 2012–13. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 6th-highest of the 21.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Holyhead Road (station 2129), daily maximum level; the record and normal range from the EA’s stage scale. Live river levels are on GOV.UK’s Check for flooding.

Flood warnings

No flood warning or alert is in force for Coventry · 6 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 8 flood warning areas and 2 alert areas reaching into the city; warnings since the service began in 2006.

Now: no flood warnings or alerts for Coventry (checked 5 November 2026, 05:57). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Coventry
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Flood warning (flooding expected)Flood alert (flooding possible)

Of the 6 warnings, 6 were for River Sherbourne at Allesley. 2016 had the most warnings (2); 2024 the most alerts (29).

The most recent warning was on 14 November 2025.

Show the 10 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
River Sherbourne at AllesleyWarning area6None
River Sowe at LongfordWarning area0None
Canley Brook at CanleyWarning area0None
River Sowe at Manor House, CoventryWarning area0None
River Sherbourne at Coventry City CentreWarning area0None
Canley Brook at Tile HillWarning area0None
River Sowe at Wyken and Stoke, CoventryWarning area0None
River Sherbourne at Pinley and Whitley, CoventryWarning area0None
Middle Avon Rugby to BidfordAlert area89None
R Sowe & R Sherbourne and Canley Bk & Finham BkAlert area61None

Environment Agency Historic Flood Warnings (first issues only, not updates; “flood watch” counted as an alert before 2011) and the real-time flood-monitoring API. Sign up for free warnings on GOV.UK or call Floodline, 0345 988 1188.

Radon

Parts of Coventry are in radon Affected Areas, up to the 10–30% band

Radon is a natural radioactive gas from the ground; long exposure raises the risk of lung cancer. The atlas gives the chance that a home in each 1 km square is above the UK action level (200 Bq/m³).

SP2679: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2776: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2777: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2778: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2779: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2780: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2875: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2876: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2877: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2878: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2879: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2880: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2881: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2974: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2975: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2976: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2977: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2978: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2979: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2980: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP2981: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP2982: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP2983: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3074: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3075: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3076: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3077: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3078: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3079: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3080: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3081: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3082: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3083: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3084: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3174: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3175: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3176: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3177: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3178: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3179: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3180: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3181: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3182: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3183: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3274: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3275: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3276: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3277: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3278: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3279: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3280: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3281: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3282: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3283: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3284: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3373: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3374: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3375: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3376: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3377: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3378: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3379: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3380: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3381: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3382: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3383: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3384: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3473: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3474: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3475: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3476: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3477: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSP3478: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3479: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3480: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3481: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3482: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3483: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3484: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3572: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3573: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3574: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3575: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3576: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3577: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3578: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3579: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3580: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3581: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3582: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3583: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3584: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSP3673: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3674: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3675: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3676: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3677: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3678: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3679: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3680: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3681: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3682: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3683: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3684: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3776: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3777: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3778: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3779: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3780: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3781: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3782: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3783: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3784: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3876: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3877: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3878: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3879: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3880: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3881: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3882: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3980: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP3981: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3982: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP4080: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP4081: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP4082: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP4181: 1–3% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%1–3%3–5%5–10%10–30%
Share of the city’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes4%
1–3% of homes33%
3–5% of homes16%
5–10% of homes37%
10–30% of homes11%

96% of Coventry’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level), and 47% in squares of 5% or more, mostly on the west side of the city.

The squares are indicative: each takes the highest band found anywhere inside it, so most homes in a coloured square are below it. Only a three-month test in the home gives a real answer.

BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon in Great Britain, version 3. Check an address at UKradon.org.

Neighbours

Flood risk in the places around Coventry

Share of homes at high or medium and at low risk from rivers and the sea. Tap a town for its page.

Ash Green: Hazard risk AKeresley Newlands: Hazard risk AHawkesbury: Hazard risk C−Binley Woods: Hazard risk ABedworth: Hazard risk CRyton-on-Dunsmore: Hazard risk B+Burton Green: Hazard risk B−Ash GreenKeresley NewlandsHawkesburyBinley WoodsBedworthRyton-on-DunsmoreBurton GreenCoventry
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Coventry344,2890.3%1%B−
Ash Green2,5620%0%A
Keresley Newlands3,6310%0%A
Hawkesbury2,2881.6%0.7%C−
Binley Woods2,5690%0%A
Bedworth31,0831.2%2.3%C
Ryton-on-Dunsmore1,8290%0.1%B+
Burton Green1,5560.2%0%B−

Hawkesbury, 3.4 miles north-east, has the most homes at risk around Coventry (1.6% at high or medium).

Be ready

Get ready for what Coventry faces

Free warnings, what to do in a cloudburst, and what to check before you move.

Get the warnings
  • Sign up free for Environment Agency flood warnings by text, call or email.
  • Floodline: 0345 988 1188, 24 hours.
  • Coventry’s warning areas include River Sherbourne at Coventry City Centre and Canley Brook at Tile Hill.
Sign up ↗
In a cloudburst
  • Surface water rises in minutes, often with no warning issued: stay out of underpasses and dips.
  • Keep the gullies and drains outside your home clear of leaves.
  • Report a blocked road drain to the council.
Radon
  • Test over three months, in a living room and a bedroom.
  • Above 200 Bq/m³, a small sump and fan usually fixes it.
  • New homes in radon areas are built with protection: basic from 3%, full from 10%.
UKradon ↗
Before you buy or rent in Coventry
  • Check the address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service: it gives rivers and sea and surface water separately.
  • Ask whether the home has flooded or had a flood insurance claim; the TA6 property form asks the seller.
  • Homes built before 2009 can get flood cover through Flood Re, the government-backed scheme; newer homes can’t.
  • Check radon for the address on UKradon.org (a small fee) or ask the seller for a test result.
How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Defences are counted. Both agencies’ maps allow for flood defences and the chance they are overtopped or fail, so a town behind a defence scheme can show few homes at high risk and many at low risk.
  • Surface water is our estimate. Neither agency publishes a count of homes at risk from surface water, so we read each address on the map. A flat on a hill and a basement in a dip can share a postcode.
  • Past floods are what was recorded. The flood outlines come from surveys, aerial photographs and reports; many small floods, and most surface-water floods, were never mapped.
  • One town, many streets. Risk is street by street. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service before you buy or rent.

Check the long-term flood risk for an address on GOV.UK →

Questions about flooding and hazards in Coventry

Does Coventry flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the city was in April 1998. 0.3% of homes are at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea on the Environment Agency’s maps, which allow for flood defences. About 3.9% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Coventry grades B− for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Coventry are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: River Sherbourne at Allesley, River Sherbourne at Coventry City Centre, Canley Brook at Tile Hill and River Sowe at Wyken and Stoke, Coventry. Surface water can collect in low spots anywhere in the city. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service.

When did Coventry last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the city run from 1985 to 1998 (2 years); the largest was in 1998. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the city since 2006, most recently on 14 November 2025.

Is Coventry at risk of surface water flooding?

About 1.8% of homes are at high risk and 2.1% at medium risk from surface water, against 0.3% at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea. Surface water floods come with little warning, and the agencies don’t issue warnings for them.

Is radon a problem in Coventry?

96% of the city’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas, and 47% is in 1 km squares where 5% or more of homes may be above the action level. Most homes are below it; a three-month test is the only way to know.

Are there flood warnings in Coventry now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Coventry at 5 November 2026, 05:57. Live warnings are on GOV.UK’s Check for flooding service and Floodline, 0345 988 1188.

Contains Environment Agency information © Environment Agency and/or database right 2026. Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026.

Sources: Environment Agency Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea, postcodes in areas at risk (June 2026); Natural Resources Wales Flood Risk Assessment Wales (May 2026); ONS Census 2021 households by postcode · Environment Agency Risk of Flooding from Surface Water (NaFRA2, 2025) and Natural Resources Wales Flood Risk Assessment Wales surface water and small watercourses, read at every address (ONS National Statistics UPRN Lookup, September 2026) and weighted by Census 2021 households by postcode · Environment Agency Recorded Flood Outlines and Natural Resources Wales historic flood map, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Environment Agency Hydrology API (daily maximum river level) and flood-monitoring stage scales · Environment Agency real-time flood-monitoring API · Environment Agency Historic Flood Warnings (January 2006 to June 2026) and flood warning and alert areas · BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon in Great Britain, version 3, by 1 km square · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.